Photo by Muriel Lasure from www.dreamstime.com

By Curtis Galbraith

Agriculture

Local ABP delegate wants the organization to do more to stick up for ranchers

Oct 25, 2019 | 2:39 PM

One local Alberta Beef Producers delegate wants his own organization to fight back.

Fairview rancher John McArthur says ranchers have been asking about fast food chains promoting plant-based foods.

“They’re serving these plant-based burgers. They call them burgers, but the only difference between a Beyond Meat burger and dog food is the dog food has more flavouring.”

McArthur is also referring to a recent Beefier Barley ad. campaign that ended up with a University of Alberta employee resigning. The controversy erupted after the ads seemed to talk about the benefits of climate change.

“Our Alberta Beef Producers and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, they never want to say anything. They’re scared they might offend somebody. This Beefier Barley ad. that was on at the university, it’s the truth.”

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McArthur says Alberta Beef Producers should have come to her defence. He adds these are stressful times in agriculture.

“We’re getting blamed for everything, whether it’s our cows emitting too much methane (or other things). People are just getting tired of nobody saying anything in defence of agriculture or the beef industry and you get tired of it.”

ABP starts its producer meetings in the Peace tonight in High Prairie at Triangle Hall. They will also be held on October 28 in La Crete at the Community Centre, November 1 in Teepee Creek at the Lyons Production Services Events Centre and November 4 in Fairview at the Dunvegan Motor Inn. All start with supper at 6 p.m. McArthur says many things will be up for discussion.

“Because we lost the plebiscite (on going to a non-refundable check-off), we’re down-sizing some of our operations and some of the areas we’re working in. We’re looking at dropping the delegate body from seven members to five members to each zone and dropping the zones down to five zones. We’re trying to make the money we’re getting go further.”

McArthur says they are also asking some of the big feedlot operators to leave in the part of check-off money that goes to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, rather than getting a rebate.